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Here are my five, ranked:
5. Jim Kaat
Games started for Minnesota: 422
No has started more games for the Twins than Jim “Kitty” Kaat. He pitched 200 or more innings in 10 seasons for Minnesota, a team record. He ranks second to only Bert Blyleven in strikeouts (1,824). Before being dropped to waivers after a poor start to the 1973 season, Kaat had racked up almost 3,000 innings pitched and a 3.28 ERA for the Twins. He was an above average pitcher in 11 of his 12 full seasons in Minnesota. On average, he was 12% better than the typical pitcher during this stretch.
Kaat started games two, five and seven in the 1965 World Series against the Dodgers. He threw a complete game with only one earned run in game two and allowed five runs in 5 ⅓ combined innings in games five and seven. Kaat’s banner season was in 1966 when he led the American League in wins (25) and innings pitched (304 ⅔). He also paced the AL in walks per nine (1.6) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.73).
Kaat produced 31.7 WAR in 422 starts for the Twins, ranking fourth. He is a Twins great for his counting numbers, but his ERA+ of 112 ties him with Dave Goltz and Jim Merritt for ninth best in team history. We now get to hear his great analysis on a periodic basis on FSN North with Dick Bremer.
4. Frank Viola
Games started for Minnesota: 259
Viola produced a wide variety of seasons for the Twins. In his first two years in the big leagues, he posted a brutal 5.38 ERA. He broke out in 1984 with a 3.21 ERA and the sixth most Cy Young votes in the American League. He regressed a bit in 1985 and was almost exactly a league average pitcher for the next two years (101 ERA+). He ended up clicking in his age-27 season, and at the perfect time in Twins history.
Viola was a complete star on the 1987 World Series team, pitching to a 2.90 ERA and once again finishing sixth in the Cy Young race. A newly developed changeup helped him turn the corner and get righties out consistently. The Twins went 4-1 in Viola starts that postseason and turned to him in game seven of the World Series. He threw eight sparkling innings, striking out seven, allowing only two runs, and helping the Twins capture their first title at the Metrodome. He was named the World Series MVP.
Now on top of the world, Viola rode the momentum into his first and only Cy Young award in 1988. In those two seasons combined, Viola led baseball with a 157 ERA+ and tied for first with Dave Stewart in wins (41). From 1984 to 1988, Viola was the league’s outright leader in wins (93). The man dubbed as “Sweet Music” was traded to the Mets during the 1989 season for Rick Aguilera, Kevin Tapani, Tim Drummond, David West, and Jack Savage. He currently ranks fifth among Twins pitchers in WAR (27).
3. Brad Radke
Games started for Minnesota: 377
Much less dominant or electric than your typical elite arm, Radke put together a great career with a mediocre fastball. His command and consistency remain underappreciated in a time full of high 90s heat and hard sweeping sliders. From 1996 to 2001, only three pitchers threw 210 or more innings in every season: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Radke. During that span, a few things became clear for Twins fans on a yearly basis: Radke was going to start at least 30 games with an ERA firmly below league average.
In fact, Radke’s only two seasons where he posted an ERA above league average were his rookie year in 1995 and his injury-shortened campaign in 2002. Because of this consistent production, Radke ranks second to Blyleven in WAR (45.4) and third to Blyleven and Kaat in innings pitched for the franchise (2,451). He pitched 180 innings or more in 10 of his 12 seasons and never played without wearing a Twins uniform.
Radke’s consistency didn’t wear out in October. He pitched in six postseason games and posted a 3.60 ERA in 35 innings. In usual Radke fashion, he struck out 17 and walked just eight. Radke led the league in walks per nine (1.0) and the American League in strikeout to walk ratio (5.27) in 2001. Radke threw strikes and manufactured outs like clockwork. His durability caught up to him and he retired after his age-33 season in 2006. He's truly a Twins legend and one that isn’t mentioned nearly enough.
2. Johan Santana
Games started for Minnesota: 175
By beginning his career as a reliever (thanks, Terry) and signing with the Mets in 2008, Santana barely reaches the top 10 for games started in the Twins’ record books. That’s about the only stat where Santana isn’t ranked in the top five among Twins pitchers with at least 100 starts for the club. He leads the franchise in ERA (3.11), WHIP (1.039), strikeouts per nine (9.6), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.30), opponent batting average (.216), opponent OPS (.631), and win percentage (.679).
Santana’s potent four-season stretch from 2004 to 2007 was truly outstanding. He led the American League in almost every category. Wins (70), ERA (2.89), strikeout rate (27.4%), you name it, Johan probably led in it. He won the Cy Young Award in 2004 and again in 2006. He finished third in 2005 and fifth in 2007. Santana pitched to a 1.35 ERA with 20 strikeouts and five walks in 20 playoff innings between 2004 and 2006. The Twins scored a combined nine runs in those three games.
Santana’s career was cut short due to a major shoulder injury, but his pure dominance as a Twin was Hall of Fame worthy in itself. In his first four seasons for the Twins, Santana started in only 35% of his appearances and averaged under 100 innings pitched.
“What if?” is a key question for Johan. What if he stayed healthy into his 30s? What if he remained a Twin? What if he would’ve been a true starter earlier in his career? Nevertheless, he was a true joy to watch and an incredible pitcher in his prime in Minnesota.
1. Bert Blyleven
Games started for Minnesota: 345
Blyleven’s Twins career is split into two parts. In the first part, he pitched six full seasons from 1970-1975 and posted an incredible 2.78 ERA in 1,611 ⅓ innings. Blyleven ranked behind only fellow Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Jim Palmer in ERA+ (133) and strikeout rate (20.3%) during that span. In 1973, Blyleven led baseball in FIP (2.32) and ushered the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.85), ERA+ (156), and WAR (9.7). The right-hander was traded to the Rangers for a package that included Roy Smalley at the 1976 deadline.
Blyleven bounced around from Texas, Pittsburgh and Cleveland before the Indians traded him back to Minnesota in 1985. Blyleven picked up right where he left off for the Twins, posting a 3.00 ERA and finishing third in the American League Cy Young race to finish the season. He started 120 more games for the Twins after the trade and, while no longer elite, remained a solid pitcher with an ERA+ above league average (103). Blyleven was a key cog during the 1987 World Series run, going 2-0 in a sweep over the Tigers in the ALCS and posting a 2.77 ERA in his two World Series starts.
Any way you cut it, Blyleven simply has the fullest resume. He leads all Twins starters in WAR (49.1) and strikeouts (2,031), contributed toward a championship, and put together a dominant six season stretch where he was a top three pitcher in baseball. For those reasons and more, he resides in the Hall of Fame and is circled as the top starting pitcher in club history.
What do you think? Who are the five best starting pitchers in Twins history?
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